Method and device for controlling player character dialog in a video game located on a computer-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

In a computing machine having a processing unit, memory and a display device for playing a video game, the video game comprising at least one or more game characters, the at least one or more game character being controlled by a special purpose computing input device connected to said computer and operable by a game player, the video game further comprising character dialog between or among the at least one or more game characters, the character dialog comprising vignettes of dialog wherein movement from one vignette to another is determined by the game player introducing emotion into the dialog by means of the special purpose computing input device. The special purpose computing input device introduces emotion into the video game during a character dialog or character encounter along an axis of a joystick or other game controller element.

PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. non-provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 12/764,739, filed on Apr. 21, 2010, which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. provisional patent applications61/179,429, filed on May 19, 2009 and 61/171,456, filed on Apr. 21,2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates a method and device for controlling playercharacter dialog in a video game. More particularly, it relates to amethod and device for controlling video game player character dialog forenhancing video game aesthetics and for making the player characterdialog a more heavily weighted component of the video game drama throughthe use of a specialized input device for controlling, in real-time,said dialog of the video game located on a computer readable storagemedium.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Video games for home use were first introduced in the early 1970's.Throughout the 1970's and 1980's the industry saw substantial andprofitable growth. However, in the late to mid 1990's and through-outthe first decade of the twenty-first century the industry has seenincredible growth, which has made it into a $10 billion industry,rivaling the motion picture industry as the most profitableentertainment industry in the world.

Part of this explosive growth has been a result from moving away fromPC-based games to those played on gaming consoles such as Microsoft'sX-Box® and Sony's Playstation®, inter alia, as well as online gamingover the Internet. Computer video games require the use of a controller(a type of input device) to interact with the game, which is connectedto the video game console or a personal computer, by a cable or someform of wireless transmitting protocol. Although a game controller canbe any input device used to control the video game, such as a keyboardor mouse, the more advanced games and gaming systems and consolesusually employ a gamepad, joystick, paddle or any other specializeddevice designed for gaming, which receives physical input from the gameplayer in control of said device. A game controller (an example of oneis shown in FIG. 8) is typically used to govern the movement or actionsof a player character (an avatar) within the video or computer game onone a plurality of known computer readable storage mediums. This is mostcommon in “Challenge-Type” games wherein the game is an obstacle course.In these types of games, the game player may be controlling themovements and actions of a player in a war scenario, wherein the gamecontroller permits the game player to choose different weapons from aselection made available to the player by manipulating various buttonsand switches on said controller. The player moves his character througha scene firing his weapon against an enemy (typically a non-playercharacter or an “NPC”) who is presented against the game player as anadversary. The desired result (i.e., the “fun” of the game) is for thegame player to traverse the obstacle course with his player characterwithin the video game and arrive at an end point of safety, all thewhile using his skill in marksmanship and physical agility, albeit in avirtual world, to kill, wound or otherwise disable his enemy withoutgetting seriously wounded or killed.

In Challenge-Type games, dialog, which permits some level of interactionor control between encountered characters, is almost non-existent (or atleast is not heavily weighted) as the purpose of the game (the “fun” or“interest” that is realized by the game player) is not to interact withothers through narration, but instead is the thrill of killing ordisabling your opponent before he kills you. This differs dramaticallyfrom “Narrative-Type” games wherein the fun or interest for the gameplayer is in the unfolding story and the drama component of the game.That is not to say that some physical encounter will not occur inNarrative-Type games, which requires the game player to incapacitate,injure or kill another character he encounters. It is just that thenarrative portion and the drama component that surrounds a characterencounter is more heavily weighted in the programming of the game sincethe game developer is trying to appeal to a different type of gameplayer, game interaction, the so called “aesthetics” of the game.

In prior art video games, especially those that are based on a moreheavily weighted Narrative-Type aesthetic, the dialog between the gameplayer character and an encountered character (be it an NPC or anotheractual game player character in a dual or multi-player game) has beenhereto before controlled through the use of dialog trees, like that seenin FIG. 7. A video game dialog tree (or conversation tree) is a videogame mechanic, based upon a hub, that provides the game player anopportunity to “choose” what to say from a predefined, and usually verylimited, number of choices (i.e., two to five is very common). The gameplayer enters this mode by choosing to speak with an NPC (or when an NPCchooses to speak to the game player's character based on the video gameprogramming). A menu is provided and the game player chooses a line ofpre-written dialog from the menu by physically engaging an input device.Upon choosing what to say, the non-player character responds to theplayer, and either the player is given another choice of what to say,the conversation ends or the desired result is achieved (i.e., a door isopened). The conversation could also end when the player selects afarewell message or when the non-player character ends the conversationbecause there is nothing left to say. Further, a bad choice could bemade by the player character, which ends the conversation and starts afight, by way of a further example. What is important to note that inthe prior art, through the use of dialog trees, the game programmershave decided on what the game player can say. The game player is givenno opportunity to inject any emotion by his choice of the limitedreplies presented to him. Instead of living the drama as a game player,in actuality he is just watching the drama unfold, much like watching amovie. The game player is therefore given no opportunity or inclinationto inject his own personality into the dialog through the use of hisplayer character. This has an undesired effect of breaking absolutely,or severely limiting, the believability of the particular conversationand consequently the overall believability of the video game itself.

Almost all prior art video games utilizing dialog trees offer the optionto repeat what was said by the non-player character, which allows thegame player to replay parts of the conversation in which they did notpay attention to, or simply because they desire to return and “startover.” These types of dialog tree conversations are almost alwaysdesigned with the tree structure architecture, with players decidingbetween each branch of dialog to pursue. Game players may then return toan earlier part of the conversation tree and repeat them over and overagain, much like a person watching a video movie who rewinds it over andover again to re-watch a portion or portions of the drama that he missedor to which he did not pay attention. Each branch of the tree isessentially a different menu of choices, and each choice that the playermakes triggers a response from the non-player character followed by anew or different menu of choices of responses. Video games that employthese dialog tree structures typically lead the game player into“meta-gaming,” a form of “looped” game playing wherein the game playeris more engaged, and therefore more interested, in trying to figure outwhat the game developer expects of him and what he may want him to sayor do to achieve a certain goal. The meta-gaming game player is thenrewarded in some way, instead of living and experiencing the drama ofthe encounter, by checking every answer to see where the path leads. Heis not engaged and encouraged to just choose one answer based upon howhe feels at that moment and then just moving forward without regard orinterest in where the other paths lead, a so-called “single pass-throughdialog.” Instead he is obsessed in knowing where each branch of the treewill lead him and subsequently detaches himself from the drama componentof the game to the point of being a watcher of a movie and not a gameplayer. Momentum in the game is totally destroyed because he is thinkingoutside of the game and has no inclination of the player character's own(albeit artificial) personality. Further, meta-gaming reduces thereality of the game encounter as real life scenarios almost neverprovide a person with a choice of responses from a selection ofpredefined answers only to see where each answer will lead him and thenchoosing his “best” answer based upon this knowledge for achieving acertain goal or to be given a certain reward. Real life drama containsemotion and almost always requires a person to make a choice based uponhow he feels at that moment. This lack of emotion (this “thinkingoutside of the game”) and the use of tree structure architecture tobuild character dialog is a severe limitation in prior art video gamesand especially in those games that are heavily weighted asNarrative-Type games, since the purpose and reason for interest in thesegames is typically the drama component and momentum of the encounter andhow that drama plays out and how that affects the player emotionally.Dialog trees end up creating “simulated” conversation since they permitthe game player to hit dead ends and then loop back around until hefinds the answer that he thinks will lead him to the next level orprize. Further, the “choice” aspect of answers that the game player isprovided with freezes the drama while he decides which branch of theunderlying dialog tree he wishes to choose, thereby further destroyingthe believability of the game. Therefore, improvements are clearlyneeded in player character encounter dialogs in all video games oncomputer readable storage mediums and especially in those whose in whichthe aesthetic framework is more heavily weighted or geared towards aNarrative-Type drama.

Some early attempts to make the character dialog more interactive and“fun,” but still relied on traditional dialog trees, can be seen inX-Men Legends II™ wherein its dialog trees were a bit more complex. Inparticular, a player could obtain different dialog from a characterdepending on whether you encountered him/her as an X-Man, a Brotherhoodmember, or the character in which he or she has special dialog. Still,this did nothing to advance the art past pre-programmed dialog trees andinto a realm of introducing emotion and momentum into characterencounters by use of an input device, which then affects the outcome ofthat encounter, and wherein different levels of two opposing emotionscan be introduced within a single encounter in order to make thenarrative encounter a more integral part of the game drama. Theaforementioned prior art game also did not discourage meta-gaming, butinstead encouraged a player to engage in such behavior.

Another attempt to expand on character dialog appeared in The ElderScrolls III: Morrowind™, wherein you could choose what to talk aboutwith the NPC's in a dialog tree, including, for example, “Lore,”“Background,” and “Race.” The NPC responses on one topic could includethe names of topics that were new to the player character, allowing theplayer to select these new topics in the dialog with any NPC having aresponse to that topic. Certain classes (and individuals) had moreresponses available (i.e., priests would talk more about the gods, whilesavants would talk about most everything included in the game). However,here again, the game was limited to dialog trees, which encouraged thegame player to meta-game and more importantly prohibited the playercharacter from making the character encounter a true integral part ofthe game drama. No real-time emotional responses could be used to affectthe NPC responses, let alone the action of the game, that were not atleast pre-programmed by the game developers, which were then severallylimited. One can clearly see the common thread and ultimate problem withvideo games employing dialog trees such as these. The game developerultimately decides how you, the avatar, or player character, are goingto feel and thereby takes away any natural true human trait, which iswith us in every personal encounter we have in life—that is to say,emotion. This has the result of seriously reducing game drama as itapplies to the narrative aesthetic, severally reducing game momentum andoperates to reduce overall interest in such game.

Yet still another attempt to impart emotion into a video game was foundin X-Files: The Game™, which allowed the player character to select whatkind of emotional response your avatar would give to certain lines incharacter encounters. Certain events would then change depending on howyou decided to respond. For example, if the player character chose anabundant of “paranoid” answers, this may cause a dead body to suddenlytwitch or move in the morgue where the player's avatar was located.Although this game attempted to introduce player emotion into the game,it does not rise to the level above and upon the circular nature andsevere limitations of dialog trees, like that seen in FIG. 7. This priorart video game also encourages meta-gaming by tempting the game playerto see how the different emotions affect the surrounding environment(i.e., “what will happen if I choose this emotion”—classic meta-gamingdistraction). All drama of the encounter or event is again lost by theplayer thinking about “what does the game developer want me to do.” Andso therefore, this prior art video game did little to progress the artaway from dialog trees and circular character encounters and itcertainly failed to move the art towards making the character encounterand the associated dialog of that encounter an integral part of the gamedrama so that game momentum was retained.

However, further attempts in the prior art are still being made atimproving the drama of character dialog, albeit they are falling quiteshort of imparting true player character emotion into the video game.Such can be seen in the yet to be released video game called AlphaProtocol™. In this game, a spy RPG game, the avatar chooses a handlerfor his spy mission at the beginning of the game. Based upon the choiceof handler, a different set of chat responses or positions will beprovided for character encounters. For instance, one handler choice mayprovide chat responses that are based upon being suave, professional orhaving an aggressive behavior. Another handler choice may provide chatresponses based upon being aggressive, having the ability to bluff orjust being honest. Yet another may provide for anger, curiosity or aninvestigative approach. Yet still another may provide a demandingattitude or friendliness or even being official. Some handler choices,but not all, also provide a quick “end conversation” approach aso-called “shut them up” choice, which is based solely upon action,whereby the avatar will resort to immediate violence. All of these chatresponses or positions are timed based during a character encounter anda choice must be made from one of the different responses within thepre-programmed time, set by the game developers, as represented and seenin FIG. 6.

Although certainly considered an improvement over the previous prior artgames, wherein the avatar merely chooses from a set of suggested,pre-programmed responses that are listed as “A) B) & C),” the dialogsystem to be seen in Alpha Protocol™ (know as the “Dynamic DialogueSystem”) is really just another traditional dialog tree, with adifferent visual approach; the underlying mechanics are the same. Inother words, the choices that are presented to the avatar arepre-programmed choices that are based upon a specific attitude oremotion that is affiliated with the handler, of whom was chosen at theoff-set of the video game or mission, and which were pre-programmed bythe game developer. Once chosen, the player character is stuck withthose emotions. And so he is unable to affect player encounters, andtherefore the dialogs associated therewith, by not being able to choosewhat emotion he is feeling “right now,” which could then affect theoutcome of the player encounter. Even though the avatar is not presentedwith a specific response that he can see in this recent prior art game,he is provided with a specific pre-programmed emotional response or“attitude,” which is based upon the attributes of his handler(determined by the developer) and he must chose his response against anexpiring clock. This does not allow the player to control the emotionsof his avatar in a fluid and dynamic manner within each dialog, wherebyanger and placation, for example, can be introduced alone, one afteranother or back and forth, so that specific results can be achieved bythe game player through his avatar and which thereby makes the dialog anintegral component of the drama of the video game and maintains gamemomentum. And so it can be seen that the dialog system of AlphaProtocol™ is rooted and programmed following a traditional dialog tree,which is circular in nature (as seen in FIG. 7) and tending to lead tometa-gaming by the game player.

And therefore, it is clearly seen that improvements are needed incharacter dialog in video game character encounters that truly allowsthe game player to inject his or her actual emotion in response to theencounter by means of an input device, which then will create heighteneddrama in these character encounters that are dynamic, fluid andunpredictable and which will allow the narrative aesthetic to be a moreintegral part of the video game and its drama and which maintains gamemomentum.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I have invented a method and device for controlling character dialog ina video game for making the dialog a greater component of the drama inthe video game. My method and device permit actual and real lifeemotions such as anger and placation, an example of just two opposedemotions from many, to be introduced into character dialog making it amore fluid activity of the game and allowing the emotions of a gameplayer to have a larger outcome in the dialog. By doing so, the dialogor conversation trees seen in the prior art have been eliminated, whichoperates to keep the game player affixed within the drama of the overallgame and in each particular dialog encounter as they occur. The gameplayer is therefore surrendering to the nature of the confrontation (theconcept of momentum). This in turn makes the game player morerealistically feel the emotion of the video game by making the drama thereward, prize or fun of the game, thereby maintaining and evenincreasing game momentum. My method, and the device that controls it,does not employ any dialog loops. Instead it employs single pass-throughdialog.

My method and device also assist in directing the game player away frommeta-gaming by keeping him focused on each encounter through the use ofhis emotions and not focused on a list of predefined responsespreprogrammed by the game developer. The emotions are imparted into thevideo game character encounter by a computing input device, such as avideo game controller, like the one seen in FIG. 8. Accordingly, thegame player, through his player character, chooses the emotional stateinstead of simply choosing what to say from a pre-defined list presentedon the video screen. To be more precise, my novel method, and the devicethat actuates it, separates the player's ability to measure a decision,like that of the prior art, to actually making the decision, and onewhich is based on his real-life emotional state.

My method and device operate by providing a computing input device, suchas a game controller, having a switch, joystick or button (or other likeplayer engaging structure). The controller allows the introduction of atleast two opposed emotions along a line or axis wherein graduated levelsor amounts of the particular emotion chosen from the at least twoopposed emotions can be introduced into the character dialog. The amountof emotion to be introduced and maintained is based upon how the gameplayer feels when a question, response or statement is presented by theother character(s) of who is/are part of the particular game encounter(i.e., the dialog). Nothing herein limits the other character from beingonly non-player characters (or “NPC”); however, by way of theforthcoming example, an NPC will be used as the encountered “othercharacter.”

In my method, and by way of use of my controller device wherein thechoices of either anger or placation can be introduced into characterdialog, a game player moves through a scene of a video game andencounters another character. For any number of reasons, the othercharacter asks the game player a question or makes a statement. Inresponse to the NPC statement or to the NPC answer that is provided tothe game player character's question, the game player listening to thedialog asks himself, “how does this make me feel?” Based upon how hefeels, and not based upon a preset dialog tree from which a stock answermost be chosen from a provided list on the video display, the gameplayer engages the controller device along a graduated number of levelsof anger or placation to introduce how he feels, without knowing howthat emotion will initially be construed by the NPC or how it willaffect the outcome of the dialog, let alone what his exact words willbe. Further, once the emotion is introduced, the effects of it can notbe removed at least in terms of how the NPC will react to such emotion.However, the player character can continue the dialog and change hisemotion when appropriate when dictated by the drama. In this manner, itis not a chosen preset response that rewards the game player, but theemotional dialog that the actual player chooses to introduce taken fromhis own set of real life emotions or those that he chooses himself tointroduce with the controller or other input device. Further, theemotional state introduced by use of the controller can be “locked-in”such that the chosen state is maintained. In a preferred embodiment,this is accomplished with any one of a multitude of available buttons onthe controller (like the one seen in FIG. 8). However, other functionscan be used to not only lock-in the emotional state, but also to inputit directly when required. Other inputting and lock-in functions ordevices include, but are not limited to, visual and audio signals,motion sensing technology, such as the forthcoming X-Box™ Natal™ system,or others, as well as elapsed time.

In my method and by using my device, the player character enters eachdialog encounter with a value of zero, as to his emotional state. Thatis to say, in the preferred embodiment, that any subsequent dialogencounter to a previous dialog encounter is not influenced by saidprevious encounter simply because the game player chose one emotion oranother or ended the encounter in a certain emotional state. However, inan alternate embodiment, my novel method and device permit the videogame to maintain a log of the player character emotional responses (thecumulative value) and to act as a learning system for the playercharacter on how he typically responds. This then creates an “order andchaos factor” that attaches itself to the player character as he movesthrough the video game. So, by way of example, if the player characteruses more anger than placation when engaging in character dialog, thenmore instability will be experienced as the game progress and therebymore challenge will be introduced at each subsequent encounter. Theplayer character will then find that an increased response to his angerallows him to reach his “challenge” goal more quickly. And conversely,if the game player chooses to use more placation than anger, whenencountering character dialog, then his dialog experience will tend tostay in the narrative form longer thereby creating a more dramatic gameexperience based upon character dialog interaction. This feature ismeant to tailor the game experience more closely to the desire of eachplayer. The method encourages the game player to choose more placationif he hopes to experience the “narrative” aesthetic or converselyencourages the game player to choose more anger if he hopes and desiresto experience a “challenge” aesthetic. This has never been seen beforein the prior art since all prior art games allow the game programmer todecide whether the aesthetic of the game will be challenge or narrative,by way of two examples chosen from many others that are available. Mynovel method and device controller therefore permits one video game tobe introduced into the market, yet be tailored to multiple differentaesthetic goals, as will be further described hereinafter.

My novel method and the device to control said method of the presentinvention can also be used with emotions other than anger and placationand is dependent on how the game programmer decides to tailor the game.It has been suggested by some gaming industry programmers and academicsthat there is a formal approach to understanding games that follows aso-called “MDA Framework.” “M” stands for Mechanics; “D” stands for“Dynamics” and “A” stands for “Aesthetics.” In this approach, theMechanics are the particular components of the game at the data andalgorithmic level, or the actual computer programming. The Dynamics arethe events and actions that occur (real-time activity) based upon theMechanics as a result of game player input. And the Aesthetics are thedesired emotions obtained from the game player as they experience theDynamics through control of the Mechanics. Therefore, the aesthetics ofa game can be tailored by what type of “fun” is to be realized. In doingso, it is suggested that there are eight (8) different types of funassociated with video game experiences. These include Sensation,Fantasy, Narrative, Challenge, Fellowship, Discovery, Expression andSubmission. It is understood that no game is tailored to just one ofthese eight types of fun, but instead some are weighted more heavilythan others and some are excluded altogether. By way of example, in awar game, such as Call to Duty®, Expression, Narrative and Fantasy willbe of little use, if not excluded altogether. However, in return, theAesthetics of Challenge, Sensation and Submission will be heavily usedto create the fun experience for the game player.

Therefore, in the present method, the type of fun that the programmerdesires a game player to have, will dictate or be influential in thetypes of emotions chosen to be employed by the game player.

Further, the present method and device can use more than just twoopposed emotions. For example, it can also introduce agreement anddisagreement along a separate axis of a controller joystick. Therefore,if anger and placation are used along the “x” axis in the 12 and 6o'clock positions, respectively, then agreement and disagreement can beused along the “y” axis at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, respectively.In this method, varying levels of the chosen emotion can then be mixedwith agreement and disagreement to open up an even greater number ofpossible dialog choices that further pulls the game player into thedrama of the conversation and away from meta-gaming.

It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide amethod and device controller for introducing real life emotions into avideo game in real time.

It is a further object of the present invention to eliminate meta-gamingin a video game by removing pre-programmed decision trees (or dialogtrees) in a video game.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to influence acharacter dialog in a video game through the use of an emotional scaleand a device that controls said scale within the video game.

It is yet even a further object of the present invention to provide adesired game player chosen video game aesthetic chosen from a multitudeof game aesthetics based upon use of the computing input device.

It is even yet another object of the invention to create momentum withinsingle vignettes of dialog drama, even though a single characterencounter may contain a plurality of vignettes, through manipulation ofthe computing input device.

It is even another object of the present invention to provide singlepass-through dialog.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description of the invention, contained herein below, maybe better understood when accompanied by a brief description of thedrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1; illustrates both a graphical representation of how two opposedemotions are programmed in the method of the present invention and alsohow mechanically those two opposed emotions can be provided forintroduction into a video game by a game player on a game controlleralong an “x” axis;

FIG. 2; illustrates both a graphical representation of how two opposedemotions and the acts of agreement and disagreement are inputted intothe method of the present invention and also how mechanically those twoopposed emotions can be introduced into a video game by a game player ona game controller along an “x” axis and the acts of agreement anddisagreement can be introduced along a “y” axis, with an understandingthat control of the game controller joystick can also introduce varyingdegrees of an emotion in combination with the act of agreement ordisagreement;

FIG. 3; illustrates a first simplified diagram of a dialog encounterbetween at least two game characters in a video game using my novelmethod and input device, wherein the emotions of anger and placationdictate the direction of the single pass-through dialog, but alongmultiple pathways to at least two end points;

FIG. 4; illustrates a second simplified diagram of a dialog encounterbetween at least two game characters in a video game using my novelmethod and input device, wherein the emotions of anger and placationdictate the direction of the single pass-through dialog, but alongmultiple pathways to at least two end points;

FIG. 5; illustrates a third simplified diagram of a dialog encounterbetween at least two game characters in a video game using my novelmethod and input device, wherein the emotions of anger and placationdictate the direction of the single pass-through dialog, but alongmultiple pathways to at least two end points;

FIG. 6 illustrates a prior art video game dialog encounter based upon adialog tree, but wherein, instead of actual word responses beingprovided for choosing therefrom, graphical illustrations of emotionalresponses are provided that are based upon pre-programmed choicesaffiliated with a “handler” of the avatar, who was chosen at thebeginning of the video game;

FIG. 7 illustrates a typical prior art dialog tree that does is basedupon looping;

FIG. 8 illustrates a computing input device or video game controller,which can be used with my novel method to introduce emotion intocharacter dialog between a game player's character and any othercharacter;

FIG. 9 illustrates a set of cards of a dialog vignette of the presentmethod, having eight columns, representing the flow of dialog from leftto right and illustrating the abundance of dialog pathways that can berealized based solely upon the game player's input of emotion in anyspecific dialog card through the use of the computing input device, butwhich is a single-pass through dialog;

FIG. 9A illustrates columns 0 through 2 of FIG. 9 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial input of emotion by the player character using thecomputing input device;

FIG. 9B illustrates columns 3 through 5 of FIG. 9 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial input of emotion by the player character using thecomputing input device;

FIG. 9C illustrates columns 6 through 8 of FIG. 9 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial input of emotion by the player character using thecomputing input device, wherein column 8 represents the end of theconversation;

FIG. 10 illustrates a first set of cards of a dialog vignette of thepresent method, wherein the flow of dialog is highlighted from left toright and having a specific pathway, which is realized based upon thegame player's input of emotion by use of the computing input device ineach subsequent dialog card while the character dialog unfolds;

FIG. 10A illustrates columns 0 through 2 of FIG. 10 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of 0 in each card by the playercharacter using the computing input device;

FIG. 10B illustrates columns 3 through 5 of FIG. 10 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of 0 in each card by the playercharacter using the computing input device;

FIG. 10C illustrates columns 6 through 8 of FIG. 10 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of 0 in each card by the playercharacter using the computing input device;

FIG. 11 illustrates a second set of cards of a dialog vignette of thepresent method, wherein the flow of dialog is highlighted from left toright and having a specific pathway, which is realized based upon thegame player's input of emotion by use of the computing input device ineach subsequent dialog card while the character dialog unfolds;

FIG. 11A illustrates columns 0 through 2 of FIG. 11 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of 1.0, 1.0 and 0, respectively, ineach subsequent card by the player character using the computing inputdevice;

FIG. 11B illustrates columns 3 through 5 of FIG. 11 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of −1.0, −2.0 and −2.0,respectively, in each subsequent card by the player character using thecomputing input device;

FIG. 11C illustrates columns 6 through 8 of FIG. 11 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of 0.0, 2.0 and 0.0, respectively,in each subsequent card by the player character using the computinginput device;

FIG. 12 illustrates a third set of cards of a dialog vignette of thepresent method, wherein the flow of dialog is highlighted from left toright and having a specific pathway, which is realized based upon thegame player's input of emotion by use of the computing input device ineach subsequent dialog card while the character dialog unfolds;

FIG. 12A illustrates columns 0 through 2 of FIG. 12 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of −2.0, −2.0 and −2.0,respectively, in each subsequent card by the player character using thecomputing input device;

FIG. 12B illustrates columns 3 through 5 of FIG. 12 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of 2.0, 2.0 and 0.0, respectively,in each subsequent card by the player character using the computinginput device;

FIG. 12C illustrates columns 6 through 8 of FIG. 12 and the valuesassociated of each dialog card having certain mechanic determiners thataffect the pathway of the character dialog of the present method basedupon an initial emotion value input of −1.0, 2.0 and 0.0, respectively,in each subsequent card by the player character using the computinginput device;

FIG. 13A is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 0 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13B is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 1 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13C is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 2 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13D is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 3 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13E is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 4 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13F is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 5 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13G is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 6 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13H is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 7 of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 13I is a table that illustrates how a New Emotion Score iscalculated for a player character using my novel method and deviceduring a character encounter with dialog in a video game with specificreference to Node 8 of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a graphical representation is shown of a vertical“x” axis having two opposed emotions (anger and placation) positioned atthe 12 and 6 o'clock positions, respectively. The two opposed emotionsof anger and placation of the method and on the device (i.e., a consolegame controller) of the present invention are used for illustrativepurposes only herein and does not limit the present invention to justthese two emotions. A multitude of varying opposed emotions could beused to affect the method or operate the device of the presentinvention.

Also shown on FIG. 1, joystick 10 is positioned along the x axis at amiddle portion, which can be operated along the x axis in opposeddirections to introduce the two opposed emotions of anger and placationand done so in varying degrees from slight anger to extreme anger andfrom sight placation to extreme placation. Nothing herein limits thedegrees to just four levels as indicated by the hash marks shown alongthe x axis. The hash marks are merely used to illustrate that somedefinable value of emotion can be introduced into the video game andthen controlled by the device such as a game controller. The levels ofemotion can be any number less than or more than zero or any fractionthereof. Accordingly, and merely by way of example, positive or negativevalues of 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be introduced or fractional values havingeither a positive and negative value can also be introduced, such as1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on. Further, as shown FIG. 1, the introduction ofa positive value, by placing pressure on joystick 10, introduces anger,and the introduction of a negative value, also by placing pressure onjoystick 10, but in the opposite direction, introduces placation.

Referring to FIG. 2, an alternate embodiment of the present invention isshown wherein the emotional vertical x axis is intersected by ahorizontal “y” axis, which is used to introduce, in this example,agreement or disagreement in a character dialog in a video game.Although not limited to just these two choices, in the example of FIG.2, agreement is located at the 9 o'clock position and disagreement ispositioned at the 3 o'clock along the y axis. Other opposing responsescould be used that are predicated upon beliefs, attitudes, experiencesand personal knowledge, which are the typical the driving forces inthese types of responses.

As shown in FIG. 2, joystick 10 can again be used to introduce the gameplayer's character's choice of response. Although hash marks are notshown herein, it is understood that some definable number of levels ofagreement and disagreement (or other responses) can be introduced from anumber less than, equal to or greater than zero and any fraction thereofas described directly above. Such description is incorporated herein.

Still further to FIG. 2, it is shown that the intersection of the x axisand the Y axis creates four quadrants, which are a hybrid, or a mix, ofthe emotion that was introduced in combination with the agreement ordisagreement choice injected into the character dialog of the videogame. As can be appreciated, the number of dialog outcomes is expandedby a great number over that of the example in FIG. 1, wherein onlyemotion is introduced. In using the example of FIG. 2, but with anunderstanding that other emotions could be used along the vertical xaxis and that different response choices could be employed along thehorizontal y axis, the four quadrants created are “Angrily Disagree”between 0-90 degrees (Quadrant I), “Angrily Agree” between 270-360degrees (Quadrant II), “Placating Agreement” between 180-270 degrees(Quadrant III) and “Placating Disagreement” between 90-180 degrees(Quadrant IV). And, any degree between the ranges of degrees in each ofthe four quadrants could be introduced. So, by way of example, the gameplayer's character could angrily disagree at 70 degrees, which would bea stronger disagreement than at 10 degrees (i.e., he is moving away fromthe 90 degree position of total disagreement along the horizontal y axisand moving more towards agreement located at 270 degrees, but with angerdictated by the movement forward (upward) along the vertical x axis withjoystick 10. Any of the four quadrants can be utilized in this manner tointroduce a plurality of varying emotion in combination with theagreement/disagreement choice. Examples of the remaining quadrants willnot be set provided as it is understood by this one example how thedifferent quadrants operate.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a simplified flow diagram is shown wherein afirst Encounter¹ dialog is represented by block 1. As shown in an indexof FIG. 3 (as well as FIGS. 4 and 5), all in the lower left hand cornerof each figure, respectively, certain angled arrows represent differentstates of emotion, which can be introduced into a dialog sequence or“vignette.” The arrows themselves do not represent single numericalvalues that must be introduced when using a device such as a gamecontroller to move from one vignette block to another, but insteadrepresent threshold amounts of actual emotion that must be reached,which are aggregate within each vignette as well as throughout theentire encounter that are calculated by player input against individualvignette pre-programmed additives and exit multipliers and modifiers (tobe more fully discussed in detail in FIGS. 10-12). The agreement anddisagreement x and y axis will not be used in the example of FIG. 3, norin the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5 either, as it is well understood howthey can be used by the description directly above.

In the index of FIG. 3, a horizontal axis (not to be compared orconfused with the description of FIGS. 1 and 2) represents no change inemotion (no increase or decrease to the current aggregate level ofemotion) or no response by the game player character. It is important tounderstand that the no change of emotion could be a “no change in anger”or a “no change in placation.” Nothing herein limits that the “no changeof emotion” arrow means neither placation nor anger. Instead it justmeans that the current state of emotion, be it placation or anger, hasnot changed its numeric value due to no engagement of joystick 10 whenpresented with a question or statement by an NPC or other gamecharacter. Each block in FIG. 3 is numbered sequentially and eachrepresents a “vignette” or dialog sequence between two or morecharacters. However, in the preferred embodiment, the method of thepresent invention uses a dialog sequence between two characters in avideo game. Further, nothing herein limits each vignette to onestatement/question and one emotional response. Each vignette can containnumerous question/statements and emotional responses or just one set foreach.

With continuing reference to FIG. 3, and by using the example that thereis only one NPC question/statement and one game player characteremotional response, for simplicity purposes, dialog Encounter¹ occurs.In response to a statement or question posed by an NPC, the game playercharacter increases his anger to some amount wherein the aggregateamount of anger (some unknown threshold to the game player) leads him tovignette block number 2. However, no change of emotion or no responsemoves the game player character to vignette block number 3, whileplacation (lowering the level of anger or other current state of emotionby some unknown threshold number by the game player) takes the gameplayer character to vignette block number 4. Now in this example,depending on which vignette the game player character finds himself, itcan be seen that he can never get to either End Point 1 or End Point 2by passing through the yet unknown dialog that occurs in vignette blocknumbers 7 and 9 unless the game player character had placated to athreshold level at Encounter¹ that permitted him to move to vignetteblock 4. This illustrates how a player may placate but may notnecessarily go to a certain dialog pathway, because the placation didnot reach the required threshold level. In other words, placation tosome threshold number may take the player along a pathway wherein thechanges of emotion will simply have no effect on the moving the gamecharacter out from said defined directional pathway until he reachessome required end point. For avoidance of doubt, moving from onevignette block to the next represents the movement along a singlepass-through dialog sequence, of which there are a multitude of saidsequences depending on what subsequent vignette block is reached eachtime the game player imparts pressure to joystick 10 on the computinginput device.

Further to FIG. 3, if the game player character increased his anger to acertain aggregate threshold level, he would have moved to vignette block2, which can then lead him to End Point 1 by first not changing hisemotion (or not responding) and then moving to vignette block 5, andthen thereafter placating to move to vignette block 8 and then finallyincreasing his anger again to move to End Point 1, or a “no change inemotion” to move to End Point 2. Or, he could have placated at vignetteblock 2, which then moves him to vignette 6; thereafter, his only choiceis to maintain his emotion (or not respond), which moves him to vignetteblock 8, whereby an increase in anger gets him to End Point 1 and nochange in emotion takes him to End Point 2. All of the above movementsthrough the vignettes and through the dialog drama again presume thatcertain aggregate threshold levels have been reached, or have fallenthere below, based upon the pressure exerted upon joystick 10 to imparta certain value in combination with pre-defined values for additives,multipliers and modifiers of each vignette block. To avoid any doubt,the emotional decisions being made are based on what the game player ishearing and seeing and how the drama is unfolding (i.e., the momentum ofthe game). If he feels angry all of sudden, and he has been placating,then he can shift his emotion, but that is based purely on the drama andof not knowing what vignette he is in and how close he is to reaching aspecific end point (i.e., removal of meta-gaming). And, if a certainvignette does not allow a “higher” or “lower” move to another vignette,regardless of his attempt to add to his exiting aggregate anger orplacation, then he will just move along horizontally until such time hereaches a defined end point or such aggregated anger or placation passesa threshold value that allows him to move to a vignette of increasedanger (and therefore more challenged aesthetics, by way of example) orincreased placation (and therefore more narrative aesthetics, by way ofanother example).

With continuing reference to FIG. 3, if the game player had not changedhis emotion at Encounter¹, he would then move to vignette block 3, whichonly gives him the option to move to vignette block 6, which again giveshim only one option and that is move to vignette 8, regardless ofwhether he completely placates or “freaks-out”. In this example, no“doors” are opened to other vignettes regardless of his emotional stateor desire to change his current emotional state by use of the computinginput device. At vignette 8, however, he can either maintain his emotion(or no respond or placate) and move to End Point 2 or increase his angerto some threshold value, unknown to the game player while the drama isunfolding, and move to End Point 1.

If however, the game player had placated to the proper threshold levelat Encounter¹, then he would have moved to vignette block 4. Here,extreme anger can take him to vignette block 5 and provides him all ofthe options that are available, as previously described before atvignette block 5. Or, the game player can maintain his emotion (or notanswer or continue to placate) and he then moves to vignette block 7 andthen again maintains his emotion (or introduces the other non-thresholdexceeding emotional values) and thereby moves to vignette block 9. Buthere, the game player character has found that he is in an interestingposition wherein only increased anger (taking him to End Point 2) andextreme anger (taking him to End Point1) can get him out of thisencounter. The character can placate as much as he wants, but it willonly take him to the lowest card in the subsequent column (not shownhere, but will be fully described in the detailed description of FIGS.10-12).

Referring now to FIG. 4, another simplified flow diagram is shown wherean Encounter² is carried through. In such encounter the game playercharacter can introduce four different emotional states having certainthreshold values. He can introduce extreme anger, which takes him tovignette block 2, increased anger, which takes him to vignette block 3,no change in emotion (or no response), which takes him to vignette block4 or placation, which takes him to vignette block 5. The remainingdetails of how the player reaches either End Point 1 or End Point 2 isunderstood by the above set forth logic and description that occurred inFIG. 3. FIG. 4 merely represents a different encounter scenario.

Referring to FIG. 5, yet another example of a simplified flow diagramwherein an Encounter³ is played out. In Encounter³, the details of theexact outcomes at each end point will again not be followed through likethat of FIG. 3, as it evident as to the previous explanations on how thedialog vignettes play-out. However, it should be noted that FIG. 5(Encounter³) allows for an extreme placation move (vignette block 5 to10) to allow someone the possibility to reduce the confrontation by somegreat threshold value and encourage a more peaceful outcome throughdialog and intellect, even though by doing so, the game player does notknow that such extreme placation will “defuse” the situation. As can beseen in FIG. 5, once the player character reaches vignette block 10,extreme anger still can be used if it appears that extreme placation didnot diffuse the situation in a way that the player wanted it to. Butagain, the game player is unaware if such action will provide him acertain result, since searching for results (i.e., meta-gaming) is notencouraged in the present invention having the single pass-throughdialog sequencing employed herein.

Referring to FIG. 6, a prior art video game character encounter withdialog is illustrated. In such encounter an avatar has encountered anNPC, who may be one of many different characters in which a dialog isprogrammed to occur there between and wherein a traditional dialog treeis used, but represented by emotions instead of actual sentence or wordchoices displayed across a video screen. This is distinguishable fromthe present invention wherein actual and real life emotions such asanger and placation, by way of example, of two opposed emotions, can beintroduced into character dialog to make it a more fluid activity of thegame and to allow the emotions of the game player to have a largeroutcome of said dialog. This then operates to keep the game playeraffixed within the drama of the overall game and in each particulardialog encounter as they occur, thereby maintaining and increasing gamemomentum. This makes the game player more realistically feel the emotionof the video game by making the drama the reward, prize or fun of thegame. My method and device of the present invention is alsodistinguishable from that which is seen in FIG. 6, because it directsthe game player away from meta-gaming by keeping him focused on eachencounter through the use of his emotions and not focused on a list ofpredefined responses, albeit in FIG. 6 they are represented by one wordemotional states, which are preprogrammed by the game developer. Theprior art game of FIG. 6 encourages meta-gaming, its dialog is developedwith a dialog tree, whereby looping can be practiced. This game does notemploy single pass-through dialog encounters, such as my presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a typical dialog tree is shown, which is employedin typical prior art video game character dialog. As shown therein, thedialog tree is circular in nature (a loop) and only leads to one endpoint or “End Conversation.” This feature encourages meta-gaming. Asfurther depicted underneath “Questions & Answers,” a minimum number ofchoices are provided to an avatar and he can choose each one, see whereit leads him and then return to the same spot and “try again” to seewhere the other path leads him if he chooses one of the other limited,pre-programmed choices. This is clearly distinguishable from myinvention (which will be more fully described herein below) in that oncean emotion is inputted on the controller device the avatar must followthe pathway that directs him and he is unable to circle back around andsee where another pathway may have lead him if he chooses a differentemotional value. My method and device direct the game player's avatarinto single pass-through dialog scenarios.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a typical game console controller 12 is shownhaving at least joystick 10. As can be seen though, there are aplurality of other buttons available, which can be used in the methodand device of the present invention. For instance, if joystick 10 isused to input an emotion (pushing forward along vertical x axis foranger for a positive numerical value like 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 or by pullingbackwards along vertical x axis for placation for negative numericalvalue of −1.0, −1.5 or −2.0, to name just a few), then any of the otherbuttons can be programmed to “lock-in” the value of emotion so as tohold it there for a desired period of time chosen by the player, or forclearing an aggregate emotion value (or score) that has eitheraccumulated during one given player character dialog sequence or onethat has accumulated for a length of time in the video game so far, toname just a few examples. Nothing herein limits the use of any other ofthe buttons found on a typical game controller 12. Further, gamecontroller 12 resembles that which is used with the X-Box™. However,nothing herein limits the use of the present method and device with onlythe X-Box™, as it can be used with any of the well known gamingconsoles, such as the Playstation 3™ and the Nintendo Wii™ or one of theother lesser known gaming consoles. Further, the present invention canbe employed to operate on a standard PC or MAC™ or other like computingdevice or on-line in a MMORPG (or “Massively Multiplayer OnlineRole-Playing Game”). Further, nothing herein limits that the computinginput device be a game console or any of the other aforementioneddevices. The inputting of emotion or even mood can be done by othersources such as light or audio devices or could be imparted with the useof the newly advancing 3-D skeletal body movement reading devices suchas that which is being released by Microsoft™ for their X-Box™, which iscurrently called “Project Natal™.” These devices, which are also beingdeveloped by other companies, are called Natural User Interface (NUI)and can be used with my method of the present invention and be thedevice that inputs the desired emotion. Referring now to FIGS. 9-9C, asimple, but preferred, single pass-through dialog sequence used in thepresent invention is shown. It is first noted that nothing herein limitsany dialog sequence used in the present invention from being formed fromonly eight columns and having a maximum number of dialog cards in anygiven column to be five, as shown in FIGS. 9-9C. This has been done (andis carried throughout in FIGS. 10-12C) for the purposes of illustrationonly. Referring to FIGS. 9A-9C, the mechanics of each dialog card ofthis particular dialog encounter are shown. These mechanics include Nodeposition and column designation (top left hand corner), card emotionvalue (top right hand corner), Exit Multipliers (Anger and Placate),Exit Additive Modifier as well as an indicator of the possible pathwaysleading from each card from the multitude of single pass-through dialogsequences, all predicated upon the player inputted emotion from thecomputing input device. The exact pathway that will be taken, which isunknown to the game player and therefore the player character, isdetermined by a “New Emotion Score” at each dialog card of the dialogsequence, which is a result of the game player's introduced emotion(i.e., anger or placation). However, unlike other prior art video gamesthat permit meta-gaming, the introduction of emotion by the playercharacter will not present him with an idea of where he is exactly goingor more importantly, where does the programmer want him to go. Instead,his true, real-life emotion input will dictate the start and then thecontinuing pathway of the dialog (a single pass-through sequence) andthereby make it an integral component of the game being played, whichmaintains the desired momentum.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-10C, the same dialog as that which is shown inFIGS. 9-9C is shown herein. However, in these figures, emotion valueshave been inputted at each Node or column (see the row of boxes alongthe top margins) to illustrate a one of 216 possible different pathways(see FIG. 10C, card 8-1) that could be taken in this particular dialog,wherein are each and every one is a single pass-through dialog sequence.In this example, all neutral, or 0.0 values, have been introduced ateach Node. Therefore, with reference to FIG. 10, the dialog sequence canbe seen to traverse the following pathway of individual dialog cards0-1, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2, 7-1 and then finally to 8-1 (as shownby the black border highlights around each respective card).

With specific reference now to FIGS. 10A-10C, the inputting of a 0.0emotion value at Node 0 (card 0-1) with the computing input device, incombination with the appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier lead thisparticular dialog sequence to card 1-1. Then at Node 1 (card 1-1), theinputting of a 0.0 emotion value, again in combination with theappropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 2-2. Thereafter, at Node 2 (card 2-2), the inputting of a 0.0emotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and theModifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 3-3. Then at Node 3 (card3-3), the inputting of a 0.0 emotion value, in combination with theappropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 4-4. Next, at Node 4 (card 4-4), the inputting of a 0.0 emotionvalue, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier,lead the dialog sequence to card 5-3. Further, at Node 5 (card 5-3), theinputting of a 0.0 emotion value, in combination with the appropriateMultiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 6-2. Then,at Node 6 (card 6-2), the inputting of a 0.0 emotion value, incombination with the appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead thedialog to card 7-1. Finally, at Node 7 (card 7-1), the inputting of a0.0 emotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier andthe Modifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 8-1, which is an endconversation node. In the preferred embodiment, an emotion value can beentered by the computing input device at Node 8 (or more specifically,the “End Conversation Card”). However, in alternate embodiments, noemotion value is inputted.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-11C, the same dialog as that which is shown inFIGS. 9-9C is shown herein. However, in these figures, as was done inFIGS. 10-10C, emotion values have been inputted at each Node toillustrate a second of 216 possible different single pass-through dialogpathways that could be taken in this particular dialog encounter. Inthis example, various emotion input values are introduced by way of thecomputing input device. So, with reference first to FIG. 11, the dialogsequence can be seen to traverse the following pathway of dialog cards0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 3-2, 4-4, 5-3, 6-3, 7-3 and then finally to 8-2 (as shownby the black border highlights around each respective card).

With specific reference now to FIGS. 11A-11C, the inputting of a 1.0anger emotion value at Node 0 (card 0-1), in combination with theappropriate Multiplier and the Modifier lead the dialog sequence to card1-1. Then at Node 1 (card 1-1), the inputting of another 1.0 angeremotion value, again in combination with the appropriate Multiplier andthe Modifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 2-1. Thereafter, at Node2 (card 2-1), the inputting of a 0.0 emotion value, in combination withthe appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 3-2. Then at Node 3 (card 3-2), the inputting of a −1.0 placateemotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and theModifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 4-4. Next, at Node 4 (card4-4), the inputting of a −2.0 placate emotion value, in combination withthe appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 5-3. Further, at Node 5 (card 5-3), the inputting of another −2.0placate emotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplierand the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 6-3. Then, at Node 6(card 6-3), the inputting of a 0.0 emotion value, in combination withthe appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 7-3. Finally, at Node 7 (card 7-3), the inputting of a 2.0 angeremotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and theModifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 8-2, which is an endconversation node. Again, in the preferred embodiment, any emotion valuecan be entered by the player character by using the computing inputdevice at Node 8 of the dialog (or more specifically, the “EndConversation Card”). However, in alternate embodiments, no emotion inputvalue is necessary.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-12C, the same dialog as that which is shown inFIGS. 9-9C is shown herein. However, in these figures, as was done inFIGS. 10-10C and 11-11C, emotion values have been inputted at each Nodeby the computing input device to illustrate a third of 216 possibledifferent single pass-through dialog pathways that could be taken inthis particular dialog. So, with reference first to FIG. 12, the dialogsequence can be seen to traverse the following pathway of dialog cards0-1, 1-1, 2-3, 3-4, 4-4, 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 and then finally to 8-1 (as shownby the black border highlights around each respective card).

With specific reference to FIGS. 11A-11C, the inputting of a −2.0placate emotion value at Node 0 (card 0-1), in combination with theappropriate Multiplier and the Modifier lead the dialog sequence to card1-1. Then at Node 1 (card 1-1), the inputting of another −2.0 placateemotion value, again in combination with the appropriate Multiplier andthe Modifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 2-3. Thereafter, at Node2 (card 2-3), the inputting of yet another −2.0 placate emotion value,in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, leadthe dialog sequence to card 3-4. Then at Node 3 (card 3-4), theinputting of a 2.0 anger emotion value, in combination with theappropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 4-4. Next, at Node 4 (card 4-4), the inputting of another 2.0 angeremotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and theModifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 5-1. Further, at Node 5 (card5-1), the inputting of a 0.0 emotion value, in combination with theappropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 6-1. Then, at Node 6 (card 6-1), the inputting of a −1.0 placateemotion value, in combination with the appropriate Multiplier and theModifier, lead the dialog sequence to card 7-1. Finally, at Node 7 (card7-1), the inputting of a 2.0 anger emotion value, in combination withthe appropriate Multiplier and the Modifier, lead the dialog sequence tocard 8-1, which is an end conversation node. As before, in the preferredembodiment, any emotion value can be entered by a player character byusing the computing input device at Node 8 of the dialog (or morespecifically, the “End Conversation Card”). However, in alternateembodiments, no emotion input value is required.

Referring now to FIGS. 13A-13H, a series of calculation tables are shownthat illustrate the manner in which a “New Emotion Score” is calculatedfor each card of a dialog vignette (like those seen in FIGS. 10-12),which then determines to which subsequent dialog card the characterencounter will next flow after the game player imparts his emotion byway of the computing input device, like the gaming console controller 12seen in FIG. 8. FIGS. 13A-13H correspond to the dialog sequence of FIGS.11-11C for illustrative purposes. The calculation tables that would beused to determine the dialog sequence for FIGS. 10-10C and 12-12C wouldof course be different, even though the multipliers and additivemodifiers in each dialog card of each column are the same in all threesets of FIGS. 10-12. However, varying player input at each Nodeintroduced with joystick 10 changes the “New Emotion Score” for each ofthe dialog sequences seen in FIGS. 10-12 and thereby forges a differentpathway (and as stated before, in this example, 216 different pathways).Further, FIGS. 10-12 only show one simple example of a dialog sequenceused in the present method and controlled by the device, and thereforethe calculations for any other dialog sequence would be completelydifferent. Still even further, a multitude of different pathways areavailable for the examples of FIGS. 10-12. For instance, (referring backto FIGS. 10-12C) one can see that this particular dialog sequence allowsfor one pathway leading to cards 0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 3-1, twopathways for cards 3-2, 3-3, 3-4 and 4-5, three pathways for card 4-1,five pathways for cards 4-2 and 4-3, six pathways for card 4-4, eightpathways for card 5-4, thirteen pathways for card 5-3, nineteen pathwaysfor cards 5-1 and 5-2, twenty pathways for card 6-3, thirty-sevenpathways for card 6-2, fifty-one pathways for card 6-1, fifty-sevenpathways for cards 7-3 and 8-2, one hundred and eight pathways for cards7-1 and 7-2 and two hundred and sixteen possible pathways for card 8-1.Again it is noted that this is a simple dialog sequence, so it is notuncommon to have a more complex dialog sequence wherein the maximumnumber of possible pathways reaches into the thousands, clearlydistinguishing the novel method and device for inputting emotion into acharacter dialog of a video game of the present invention from those ofthe prior art using dialog trees, wherein game player emotion, throughhis avatar and a computing input device, can be imparted into the gameto affect the dialog sequence as it moves through a single pass-throughsequence of a multitude of possible pathways.

Although not shown in any of three aforementioned examples of FIGS.10-12, there is a short circuit component that can be built into eachand every dialog vignette. The purpose of the short circuit component isto traverse the entire dialog encounter regardless of where the gameplayer's avatar is currently located within such vignette based uponaggregate emotion level (such as anger), which takes him straight out ofthe dialog encounter. Although many outcomes could be realized, atypical one would be the avatar killing the other character involved inthe dialog encounter because his aggregate anger threshold has reached alevel wherein the remaining dialog cards will not permit him to placatethe encounter to a point to reach one of the “end conversation points.”He therefore prematurely exits from the encounter and in the preferredembodiment that exit would entail some form of violent confrontation forthe anger emotion exit. The same is true for a placation “shortcircuit.” However, for placation, the threshold has reached a level solow, that no level of imparted anger can raise the avatar up from theplace he finds himself and so he prematurely exits the encounter, bysulking away from the other character (for example) and having notgained anything.

With reference to FIG. 13A, the New Emotion Score of Node 0 iscalculated by reading the player input of 1.0 (anger) and multiplying itby the Anger Exit Multiplier of 1.0 (the anger multiplier is used sincean anger input was introduced), which gives you a value of 1.0. Then,the Exit Additive Modifier of 0.0 is added for an Adjusted Player Inputof 1.0. This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 0.0providing a New Emotion Score of 1.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11A,it is noted if any subsequent card in column 1 has an emotion score of1.0. None do. Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowest tothe New Emotion Score is used, which in this case is card 1-1. Then,with reference to FIG. 13B, the New Emotion Score of Node 1 iscalculated by reading the player input of 1.0 and multiplying it by theAnger Exit Multiplier of 2.0, which gives you a value of 2.0. Then, theExit Additive Modifier of 2.0 is added for an Adjusted Player Input of4.0. This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 1.0 providinga New Emotion Score of 5.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11A, it is notedif any subsequent card in column 2 has an emotion score of 5.0. None do.Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowest to the New EmotionScore is used, which in this case is card 2-1. Next, with reference toFIG. 13C, the New Emotion Score of Node 2 is calculated by reading theplayer input of 0.0 and multiplying it by the Anger Exit Multiplier of2.0 (the anger multiplier is used since the player character is in anger“state” at the moment), which gives you a value of 0.0. Then, the ExitAdditive Modifier of 0.0 is added for an Adjusted Player Input of 0.0.This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 5.0 providing anew Emotion Score of 5.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11B, it is notedif any subsequent card in column 3 has an emotion score of 5.0. None do.Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowest to the New EmotionScore is used, which in this case is card 3-2.

Then, with reference to FIG. 13D, the New Emotion Score of Node 3 iscalculated by reading the player input of −1.0 and multiplying it by thePlacate Exit Multiplier of 4.0 (the placate multiplier is now used sincethe player placated with joystick 10), which gives you a value of −4.0.Then, the Exit Additive Modifier of 3.0 is added for an Adjusted PlayerInput of −1.0. This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 5.0providing a new Emotion Score of 4.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11B,it is noted if any subsequent card in column 4 has an emotion score of4.0. None do. Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowest tothe New Emotion Score is used, which in this case is card 4-4.

Then, with reference to FIG. 13E, the New Emotion Score of Node 4 iscalculated by reading the player input of −2.0 and multiplying it by thePlacate Exit Multiplier of 2.0, which gives you a value of −4.0. Then,the Exit Additive Modifier of 1.0 is added for an Adjusted Player Inputof −3.0. This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 4.0providing a new Emotion Score of 1.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11B,it is noted if any subsequent card in column 5 has an emotion score of1.0. None do. Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowest tothe New Emotion Score is used, which in this case is card 5-3.

Then, with reference to FIG. 13F, the New Emotion Score of Node 5 iscalculated by reading the player input of −2.0 and multiplying it by thePlacate Exit Multiplier of 2.0, which gives you a value of −4.0. Then,the Exit Additive Modifier of 2.0 is added for an Adjusted Player Inputof −2.0. This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 1.0providing a new Emotion Score of −1.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11C,it is noted if any subsequent card in column 6 has an emotion score of−1.0. None do. Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowestthan the New Emotion Score is used, which in this case is card 6-3.

Next, with reference to FIG. 13G, the New Emotion Score of Node 6 iscalculated by reading the player input of 0.0 and multiplying it byeither the Placate or Anger Exit Multiplier of 3.0 and 2.0,respectively, (it makes no difference since you are multiplying by 0.0),which gives you a value of 0.0. Then, the Exit Additive Modifier of 2.0is added for an Adjusted Player Input of 2.0. This is then applied tothe Previous Emotion Score of −1.0 providing a new Emotion Score of 1.0.Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11C, it is noted if any subsequent card incolumn 7 has an emotion score of 1.0. None do. Therefore, the dialogcard having a value next lowest to the New Emotion Score is used, whichin this case is card 7-3.

Next, with reference to FIG. 13H, the New Emotion Score of Node 7 iscalculated by reading the player input of 2.0 and multiplying it byAnger Exit Multiplier of 1.0, which gives you a value of 2.0. Then, theExit Additive Modifier of 0.0 is added for an Adjusted Player Input of2.0. This is then applied to the Previous Emotion Score of 1.0 providinga new Emotion Score of 3.0. Thereafter, looking at FIG. 11C, it is notedif any subsequent card in column 8 has an emotion score of 3.0. None do.Therefore, the dialog card having a value next lowest to the New EmotionScore is used, which in this case is card 8-2. This is an end point tothe conversation of this dialog sequence. However, the player input canbe read in the same manner such that with reference to FIG. 13I, the NewEmotion Score of Node 8 is calculated by reading the player input of 0.0and multiplying it either the Anger or Placate Exit Multiplier, whichwill give you a value of 0.0. Then, the Exit Additive Modifier of 0.0 isadded for an Adjusted Player Input of 0.0. This is then applied to thePrevious Emotion Score of 3.0 providing a new Emotion Score of 3.0. Itshould be noted that in this example the dialog card with the nextlowest value to the New Emotion Score was used each time. However, if inthe subsequent column any of the cards had the exact score, that cardwith said exact score would have been used to continue the dialog. Thenext lowest card is only used when no card has a value equal to the NewEmotion Score.

In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the actual graphicalrepresentation of the game player's game character (the avatar) can beprogrammed to change his physical stance based upon the inputtedemotional value (a so called “body language component”). For instance,if a low level of anger (i.e., aggravation) is inputted by the computinginput device, the actual physical stance of the avatar on the displayscreen can be shown to pause when hears the answer that aggravates him,shift his body weight, quickly look to the side as he shakes his head indisagreement and takes a deep breath ors clear his throat before theaudible response is given by the avatar. Or if a medium level of angeris inputted, the avatar can be shown to shift his body weight buttowards the character that he is talking to, while his body tenses (suchas his fists clenching) and his face shows an obvious state ofagitation. Or, if an extreme level of anger is inputted, the avatar cantense up, grab for a weapon or another means of destructive force (i.e.,summon a magical spell) or actually grab the other character andphysically assault, hurt or kill him. The same can be true forplacation, but wherein the typical body traits and actions associatedwith such emotion are imputed into the avatar's stance (i.e., droppingthe shoulders, whining and slightly backing away from the othercharacter, as one example of a multitude of placating stances.

Equivalent elements and steps of the method can be substituted for onesset forth herein to achieve the same results in the same way and in thesame manner.

1. A method for controlling character dialog in a video game displayedin a video game space, the steps of the method comprising: a) providingat least two game characters within said video game, b) displaying saidat least two game characters in said video game space, c) permittingsaid at least two game characters in said video game space to interactin at least one dialog encounter, d) permitting a game player of saidvideo game to control attributes of one of said at least two gamecharacters, e) providing a computing input device in communication withsaid video game space, and f) activating said computing input device bysaid game player to control at least two opposing emotions of said oneof said at least two game characters for affecting a sequence ofcharacter dialog events that occur between said at least two gamecharacters during said at least one dialog encounter, the step ofactivating the computing input device by said game player triggeringforward momentum of one of a plurality of single pass-through dialogsequences for said at least one dialog encounter, wherein each one ofsaid plurality of single pass-through dialog sequences reaches at leastone end point of said at least one dialog encounter by a differentpathway, said sequence of character dialog events comprising amultiplicity of individual character dialog interactions, said step ofactivating said computing device to control said at least two opposingemotions occurring at each of said multiplicity of individual characterdialog interactions of said at least one dialog encounter between saidat least two game characters.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidvideo game space is chosen from the group consisting of a gaming consoleand display screen, a personal computer, a hand held computing device, alaptop computer and a tablet computing device.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein said video game is executable within said video game space. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein said video game is executable within saidvideo game space over a computing network chosen from the groupconsisting of a local area network, a wide area network or a world-widesystem of interconnected networks.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of displaying said at least two game characters in said video gamespace comprises the step of providing a display screen in communicationwith a computing device having a computer-readable medium, saidcomputer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions foractivating said video game.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein saidcomputing input device is chosen from the group consisting of a gamingconsole controller, a computer keyboard, a computer mouse, avoice-activated response device, a heat or pressure sensitive controlmechanism, a natural user interface and a 3-D body reactive imagingmechanism.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said computing input deviceis a gaming console controller having at least one joystick moveablealong at least one axis in a forward and backward direction.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein said at least two opposing emotions includeanger and placation, said anger emotion inputted into said characterdialog of said one of said at least two game characters by said gameplayer by applying pressure in either said forward or said backwarddirection on said joystick, and said placation emotion inputted intosaid character dialog of said one of said at least two game charactersby said game player by applying pressure on said joystick in saidopposing direction to that of said anger emotion.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein said two opposing emotions include anger and placation. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein said step of activating said computinginput device by said game player comprises the step of applying pressureon a mechanical device of said computing input device on at least asingle axis of said mechanical device.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein each of said multiplicity of individual character dialoginteractions has varying exit emotional multiplier values and exitadditive modifier values, which are used to calculate an emotional scorevalue in combination with a value attributed to said at least twoopposing emotions activated by said game player with said computinginput device, which controls said forward momentum of said one of aplurality of single pass-through dialog sequences from one of saidmultiplicity of individual character dialog interactions to a subsequentone of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactionsuntil said at least one end point is reached.
 12. A computer-readablestorage medium having embodied thereon a video game program, said videogame program executable by a computing device for performing steps of amethod for controlling character dialog in said video game displayed ina video game space, the steps comprising: a) providing at least two gamecharacters within said video game, b) displaying said at least two gamecharacters in said video game space, c) permitting said at least twogame characters in said video game space to interact in at least onedialog encounter, d) permitting a game player of said video game tocontrol attributes of one of said at least two game characters, e)providing a computing input device in communication with said video gamespace, and f) activating said computing input device by said game playerto control at least two opposing emotions of said one of said at leasttwo game characters for affecting a sequence of character dialog eventsthat occur between said at least two game characters during said atleast one dialog encounter, the step of activating the computing inputdevice by said game player triggering forward momentum of one of aplurality of single pass-through dialog sequences for said at least onedialog encounter, wherein each one of said plurality of singlepass-through dialog sequences reaches at least one end point of said atleast one dialog encounter by a different pathway, said sequence ofcharacter dialog events comprising a multiplicity of individualcharacter dialog interactions, said step of activating said computingdevice to control said at least two opposing emotions occurring at eachof said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactions of saidat least one dialog encounter between said at least two game characters.13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, located within acomputing device chosen from the group consisting of a gaming console, apersonal computer, a hand held personal computing device, a laptopcomputer and a tablet computer.
 14. The computer-readable storage mediumof claim 12, wherein said computing input device is chosen from thegroup consisting of a gaming console controller, a computer keyboard, acomputer mouse, a voice-activated response device, a heat or pressuresensitive control mechanism, a natural user interface and a 3-D bodyreactive imaging mechanism.
 15. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 12, wherein said two opposing emotions include anger andplacation.
 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, whereinsaid computing input device is a gaming console controller having amechanical joystick moveable along at least a single axis in a forwardand backward direction.
 17. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 16, wherein said at least two opposing emotions include anger andplacation, said anger emotion inputted into said character dialog ofsaid one of said at least two game characters by said game player byapplying pressure in either said forward or said backward direction onsaid joystick, and said placation emotion inputted into said characterdialog of said one of said at least two game characters by said gameplayer by applying pressure on said joystick in an opposing direction tothat of said anger emotion.
 18. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 12, wherein each of said multiplicity of individual characterdialog interactions has varying exit emotional multiplier values andexit additive modifier values, which are used to calculate an emotionalscore value in combination with a value attributed to said at least twoopposing emotions activated by said game player with said computinginput device, which controls said forward momentum of said one of aplurality of single pass-through dialog sequences from one of saidmultiplicity of individual character dialog interactions to a subsequentone of said multiplicity of individual character dialog interactionsuntil said at least one end point is reached.